ORLANDO, Fla., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. today launched its new "Meet the Animals" marketing campaign, which will highlight how SeaWorld's parks provide the unique opportunity for up-close, personal connections with sea life. With the tagline, "Real. Amazing.", the campaign will showcase a variety of the species in SeaWorld's care by describing an individual animal's character and personality, and will invite guests to come visit the animal at the park.

"SeaWorld opened its doors with a simple mission: to 'open a new dimension in human knowledge and understanding of the undersea world and its inhabitants,'" said ?Peter Frey, Senior Marketing Officer of SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. "'The Meet the Animals' campaign takes SeaWorld back to these roots and emphasizes the power of a visit to make a lasting connection between animals and people."

The campaign includes ads airing on cable television networks, print and out-of-home advertisements in key local and same-day attendance markets, and a robust digital component.

The first advertisement in the series invites visitors to meet Leon, a nine-year-old sea lion residing at SeaWorld San Antonio. The ad can be seen at www.seaworld.com. The ad reads:

Meet Leon.
Leon is nine years old and is about as tall as a basketball player.
His special talents include blowing bubbles out of his nose.
He's very inquisitive, and is known in sea lion circles as "the close talker."
He just loves meeting new people. He'll demonstrate his joy by waving his fore flippers.
Come meet Leon "the lion" and his waving fore flippers.
Only here. Only at SeaWorld.
The campaign is independent of the company's brand reputation campaign, which will begin in the coming weeks.

Sea Lion Crisis in California

The ad begins to air at a time of ongoing crisis for sea lions in California. SeaWorld San Diego continues to see a dramatic increase in the number of California sea lions stranding on local beaches in 2015. On March 12, the park set a new record for the number of marine mammal rescues in a single year with its 475th rescue, eclipsing the previous record of 474 marine mammals rescued in 1983. This is an exceptionally high number for such a short period of time and earlier in the season than normal. SeaWorld San Diego's popular sea lion and otter show, "Sea Lions LIVE," is currently suspended to allow additional animal caretakers from the park to assist in the rescue and rehabilitation effort.

Other marine mammal facilities along the coast of California are seeing the same trend with more than 1,600 strandings on California beaches so far this year. With such a significant strain on the California marine mammal stranding network, SeaWorld also announced today that it would donate $30,000 to the institutions that make up the California stranding network: California Wildlife Center (Malibu), Channel Islands Marine Wildlife Institute, Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur, Pacific Marine Mammal Center (Orange County), The Marine Mammal Center (Sausalito), and Moorpark College. Students from Moorpark'sExotic Animal Training and Management Program are currently helping SeaWorld care for the rescued animals.

It's not known with certainty why the region is seeing a larger number of strandings, however, these sea lion pups are unable to find sufficient food sources. The animals, eight to nine months old, are found emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated and extremely lethargic. Some are also suffering from hypothermia, hypoglycemia, pneumonia, and other illnesses that animals can be susceptible to when their immune systems become compromised. SeaWorld's animal care specialists and veterinarians are treating the animals with hydration, nutrition and, when necessary, antibiotics.

About SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: SEAS) is a leading theme park and entertainment company delivering personal, interactive and educational experiences that blend imagination with nature and enable its customers to celebrate, connect with and care for the natural world we share. The Company owns or licenses a portfolio of globally recognized brands including SeaWorld®, Shamu® and Busch Gardens®. Over its more than 50-year history, the Company has built a diversified portfolio of 11 destination and regional theme parks that are grouped in key markets across the United States, many of which showcase its one-of-a-kind zoological collection of approximately 89,000 marine and terrestrial animals. The Company's theme parks feature a diverse array of rides, shows and other attractions with broad demographic appeal which deliver memorable experiences and a strong value proposition for its guests.

SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's foremost zoological organizations and a global leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry and veterinary care. The Company collectively cares for what it believes is one of the largest zoological collections in the world and has helped lead advances in the care of animals. The Company also rescues and rehabilitates marine and terrestrial animals that are ill, injured, orphaned or abandoned, with the goal of returning them to the wild. The SeaWorld rescue team has helped more than 24,000 animals in need over the last 50 years.

Copies of this and other news releases as well as additional information about SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. can be obtained online at www.seaworldentertainment.com. Shareholders and prospective investors can also register to automatically receive the Company's press releases, SEC filings and other notices by e-mail by registering at that website.